


I'd Die Without This

by Bunnywith



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Light Dom/sub, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-03
Updated: 2014-01-03
Packaged: 2018-01-07 06:24:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1116557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bunnywith/pseuds/Bunnywith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi gets sulky when Erwin forgets his collar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'd Die Without This

**Author's Note:**

> Title shamelessly stolen from 'Adrenalize' by In This Moment because I cannot write TITLES.

He wakes late that morning, having slept through Erwin waking up and leaving the bed. Levi notices his absence only when he rolls over and finds the warm spot Erwin left under the blankets. He cuddles up into the spot and dozes, half-asleep until the sunlight coming through the window creeps across his face, lighting up the world beyond his closed eyes.

Levi groans in exhaustion and sits up, now fully aware that Erwin is gone. There's nothing new about that though, that workaholic would work straight through the night if he didn't have to stop to answer his body's need to sleep. He sighs and rubs a hand through his hair, yawning and lazily stretching his arms. One hand comes to rest at his throat, eyes open wide when he notices a glaring absence with a spike of panic. His neck is bare, missing his most prized possession. Levi turns and sees it lying there on the bedside table; his collar. 

He gets out of bed, nearly tripping as his feet tangle up in the sheets, and charges into the bathroom attached to their bedroom. Being the Commander and Corporal of the survey corps had its advantages, which included a private bathroom, a blessing Levi was endlessly grateful for. In the bathroom he looks for Erwin, but finds nothing. The man is gone, already in his office. Levi grits his teeth in agitation and goes back to the bedroom, eyes fixed on his collar. He touches it longingly, his fingers lingering and savoring the rough edges of the hand-stitched leather. He feels the ghost of it, heavy at the base of his throat, and aches to put it on. 

But he can't. The collar is a symbol, something for both of them to acknowledge Erwin's utter dominance of him, his ownership. It means nothing if Levi puts it on himself, and it means everything when Erwin puts it on him.

Levi leaves the collar where it is and gets ready with a sulk on his face that's more pronounced than it usually is. He dresses, pulling on his pants and shirt before fastening his 3D maneuver straps around his feet and up his calves. The straps on his thighs and across his chest feel cruel today, like a reminder of the collar Erwin forgot to put on him today. He knows Erwin was probably woken suddenly by Mike or Nanaba, urgently requiring his attention for this matter or another, but to simply be forgotten like that leaves him unhappy.

Levi emerges from the bedroom and tells himself to go do something besides thinking about how there is no collar around his throat. He could harass some of the newest recruits, clean something, or harass a recruit into cleaning something. He could drink a whole pot of coffee or use his 3D maneuver gear to hang upside down outside Erwin's office window until his forgetful lover got the distinct feeling he was being given the stink eye for being careless.

In the end, Levi goes to Erwin's office and sits down on the couch with a heavier thump than usual, dropping his weight into the furniture like a sack of potatoes. Erwin doesn't look up from his paperwork, and continues reading things, signing things, crossing things out and rewriting them. Levi doesn't know what irritates him more; the thought that perhaps Erwin didn't notice his wordless attempts for his attention, or the niggling paranoia that Erwin intentionally 'forgot' the collar to rile him up. He sits for a while, arms and legs crossed as he looks at the bare stone walls, telling himself to leave the office and go do something else.

But Levi has trouble listening to anyone, much less himself. He gets up from the couch and stands in front of Erwin's desk, hands flat on the dark wood surface as he leans over, staring at the top of Erwin's head. The lack of response he gets makes him want to claw his nails into the wood. He's doing this intentionally. He must be. There's simply no way he hasn't noticed Levi by now.

Levi walks around to Erwin's side, leaning into his shoulder, his head against Erwin's as he looks down at the document he has been so focused on.

“What is that?”

“Request for funds.” Short, simple answer for a long, boring document. Erwin never breaks his stride, continuing to proofread his own work and change things around. He'll rewrite this entire thing after he's done. Where he finds the patience for such boring work, Levi will never know.

He slips his arms around Erwin's neck, hanging there while watching him at work, but very soon Levi is too bored to even pretend to be interested anymore. So many words to say such a simple thing: _We need money. More money means less deaths. Give us money._ How much paper and ink would they save if Levi wrote the proposals?

Levi is too proud to simply ask Erwin to stop what he's doing and correct the memory lapse that led to this grave indiscretion. As much as he wants his collar on, he can't bring himself to ask for it. Asking for it seems so needy, eager and desperate, and Levi tries to conduct himself in a manner that is opposite those behaviors. 

He moves behind Erwin and presses his face into the man's gelled hair, face burning with embarrassment as he contemplates what would be the least humiliating way to ask Erwin to collar him. He needs it. He needs Erwin's fingers, warm and strong at his neck, pulling the collar just a little too tight to buckle it, then letting it loosen just right to allow him to freely breathe while leaving it tight enough that it hugs Levi's neck with every breath he takes. He swallows hard, feeling his heart beating a little bit faster as he yearns even more for the collar, for Erwin to look him in the eyes as he's marked by stiff black leather.

Levi fails to notice that he's breathing a little faster, but Erwin feels his chest and hears his fast breaths. He puts his pen down and cranes his head backward to look at his pouty little lover.

“Levi, is something wrong?”

Levi's instincts are at odds with each other, half of him wanting to yell that YES something is wrong, the other half wanting to deny that anything is wrong so he can pout until Erwin figures it out.

Levi bites his tongue and rolls off of Erwin, repositioning himself to lean against his desk on the opposite side from where he started, arms crossed firmly over his chest in a facsimile of what he thinks is his normal behavior, posture and voice.

“No.” He insists, but 'something is wrong' is coming off him in waves. Erwin just can't figure out what it is, and experience has taught him that Levi would rather pout all day than admit that something is bothering him. He rests an elbow against his desk and cradles his chin in his hand, trying to figure out why Levi is behaving like a clingy grumpy cat this morning. He returns to that morning when he was woken up by recruits in a panic because there was no more toilet paper in the communal bathrooms, replaying each step until it hits him. Erwin turns to Levi with a smirk on his face, the kind that makes Levi want to smack him.

“Are you perhaps upset because I forgot to put your collar on this morning?”

The visible flinch Levi makes answers his question. Erwin chuckles and grabs a 3DMG strap across Levi's back, giving it a yank and pulling the smaller man into his lap. Levi struggles a little, trying to remain stubborn, but Erwin's next words have him calm and placid.

“Go get it, would you?”

Levi's too excited to even try to deny it. He gets up from Erwin's lap and leaves the office, finds the collar beside their messy bed. He was too flustered to even make the bed. The collar is tucked inside his uniform jacket and swiftly carried back to Erwin's office, where Levi locks the door then wordlessly presents it to Erwin.

“On your knees.” The Commander says, and Levi has no more fight in him. He obeys instantly, kneeling in front of Erwin where he sits at his desk, hands gripping Erwin's muscled thighs. Erwin puts the collar in his lap and removes the cravat from Levi's pale throat, the Corporal breathing heavily as the leather slides around the back of his neck. Erwin threads the end through the metal buckle and pulls it tight, Levi's breath catching as the world around him disappears and there is only Erwin, his love, his master. There is tender, reverent love in his eyes as he looks up to Erwin and feels the slide of his fingers on his neck, smelling ink, leather and sweat. Erwin tucks the end of collar into its belt and holds Levi's face in his open palm. Levi leans into his touch, all of his panic and foul mood seeping away as he feels the collar pull on his neck. He is safe, secure, loved, owned. 

The light flush on Levi's face lets Erwin know his Corporal is content, now that he has what he wants. He pulls Levi's face to his and presses sweet kisses to his lips, Levi responding in kind as his hands paw at Erwin's thighs.

“Happy now, oh fussy one?” Erwin chides, and Levi scoffs at him.

“I'd be happier if you could actually remember to do this every morning. You're getting forgetful in your old age.”

“Who says I forgot? You look so cute when you're asleep, I don't want to wake you. Plus you're a crab to wake up.”

Levi immediately gets to his feet and swats Erwin over the head, messing up his carefully made hair. He stomps to the office door and unlocks it, pauses before he walks out and looks back at Erwin.

“Thank you, Master.”

And he leaves.


End file.
